U.S. NewsCrime

Actions

Woman ordered to pay airline $40K after causing flight to be diverted

The woman from Hawaii has also been sentenced to more than three months in prison.
Posted at 8:05 AM, Nov 15, 2023

A Hawaii woman has been sentenced to more than three months in prison and has to pay nearly $40,000 in restitution after causing a flight from Phoenix to be diverted.

According to federal court paperwork, the 29-year-old woman used profanities and threatened flight attendants and passengers on an American Airlines flight on Feb. 12, 2022. 

The flight was originally from Phoenix to Honolulu, but it had to be diverted back to Phoenix because of the disturbance.

The disturbance caused several flights to be rerouted, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The woman pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a flight crew member and must pay $38,952 to American Airlines as restitution. 

She also faces three years of probation and is not permitted to fly without court approval during that time.

This story was originally published by Scripps News Phoenix.